Autumn of the Maple Star
by Altanero
Summary: Just another season in Redwall. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

My first ever fanfic! Please don't tear it apart! Tell me in Reviews whether u guys want more stories or not!  
  
[Disclaimer: I do not own any of Brian Jacques characters (Deyna, Filorn, Fwirl, Rosabel, Mhera, Broggle, Russano the Wise, Friar Bobb, Skipper of Otters, Swash, Blekker, Cregga Badgermum, Nimbalo, Boorab, Drogg Cellarhog, Sister Alkanet, Foremole). The only characters that I invented and own are Marcus, Groobly, Amby, Rustal, Ryer and Lutris (future character)]  
  
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-The Autumn of the Maple Star-  
  
Recordings of Rosabel, Daughter of Fwirl and Broggle  
  
So, the leaves have finally started to turn gold and the north wind blows stronger than before. Russano the Wise tells us that autumn is just around the corner! He and some of his loyal hares have decided to stay a while longer before they return to their home, Salamandastron. The dibbuns spent the whole day trying desperately to find the mysterious "Oortum"! Haha...those dibbuns just amuse me so with their innocence! Abbess Mhera tells me there shall be a feast in the Great Hall tonight to welcome the coming of autumn and to celebrate the anniversary of Cregga Badgermum's death. Also Filorn has finally taken over from old Friar Bobb as Redwall's head cook! This will be her first feast that she has had to organize. Everyone is looking forward to what Filorn has decided the menu should be! My father Broggle told me that he was making an enormous batch of Redwall honeycomb biscuits! Yum, my absolute favourite! Nimbalo and Boorab been taking lessons from Drogg Cellarhog and learning about making those ice- cold drinks all us Redwallers love, wot wot! I shall probably be busy tomorrow recording the important highlights of the feast into my notebook. I have only just recently finished the story of the Taggerung, my first ever writings! I still wear the tailring that Deyna gave me fastened to my cloak. Oh no... it's those noisy dibbuns again! Oh well, I might as well go help with the feast.  
  
Rosabel stood, corking her inkpot and stowing the bark parchment and quill in the desk drawer. As she reached for the door handle the door flew open admitting several dibbuns riding on Deyna, Warrior of Redwall's broad shoulders. He grinned bowing.  
  
"Recorder Rosabel, please let myself and my mighty friends escort you to the feast!", Deyna said bowing and winking at her, trying to get her to play along with the dibbuns' game.  
  
"Ho yurr, marm, let us'ns be atakin' yurr to de feast!" said Groobly, a small mole, in the moles curious rustic dialect.  
  
Rosabel smiled. "Of course, please escort me to your fine feast!"  
  
As they walked down the corridor, the dibbuns ran ahead letting Deyna and Rosabel have some peace and quiet. Deyna laughed watching the little ones pretend to fight off hordes of fierce imaginary sea rats.  
  
"I wanted to escape from Nimbalo and Boorab, but this vicious lot of beasts is just as bad!" he muttered.  
  
"I heared that!" said a small voice near Deyna's ear. "Don't yous ferget 'bout Amby!"  
  
Deyna laughed again. "No, I didn't forget you my little squirrel friend!" Amby was a special favourite of Deynas' and the little daughter of Rosabel. "Don't touch Martin's sword, OK matey? I don't want you hurting yourself on it!"  
  
Deyna wore the sword of Martin strapped to his back, with the red pommel stone showing just above his right shoulder. He had earned it, only a summer ago when he learned of his true identity as a Redwaller.  
  
As they reached the Entrance Hall, they were intercepted by Rustal and Ryer, the squirrel twins who had only just come to Redwall last summer. Both of them were warriors, Marcus an accomplished swordbeast and Ryer a better archer than anyone, even Deyna, in the Abbey. Rustal's sword was battered with an orange stone on top. It's thin, lethally sharp blade hidden in it's scabbard. The sword hung from Rustal's belt were he rested his paw on the hilt. Ryer held a yew longbow with a red-bound handgrip in the middle of the bow. A quiver of arrows, each fletched with sparrow feathers, was slung on his back.  
  
"On your way to the feast are you Rosabel?" Rustal asked shyly, looking at his footpaws. Both he and his brother were very taken to Rosabel. "Cos' Marcus is waiting for you in the Great Hall..."  
  
"...he was helping put up decorations with Foremole and her crew." said Ryer, finishing off Rustal's sentence.  
  
Being twins they often thought about the same thing, finished each others sentences or knew when the other was injured, sad or scared. It often came in handy. One time when they first came to Redwall, the Abbey was under attack. Rustal had been injured in Mossflower woods, lying unconscious by the stream, an arrow in his shoulder. He had chased after several rats that had fled into the woods. Ryer had felt a sharp pain in his shoulder during the fight and sensed that something had happened to his brother and went with Skipper, Swash and Blekker to look for Rustal. They found him and carried him back to Redwall and Sister Alkanet patched him up.  
  
At that moment Marcus, Rosabel's husband, came dashing up, planting a kiss on Rosabel's cheek and lifting Amby off Deyna's shoulders and onto his own.  
  
"Hi all! Come on, everyone's at Great Hall helping set up all ready!"  
  
'Let's go, Daddy, come on! I want to help!" squeaked Amby bouncing on her father's shoulder in excitement.  
  
The six off them sprinted towards Great Hall just as Abbess Mhera reached the Great Hall.  
  
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So what did you think?  
  
Top stuff for a beginner?  
  
Or a pile of trash that should never have even graced the site?  
  
Review please, and vote for whether you want a next chapter and find out what happens at the feast, what new villain is coming to Redwall Abbey and meet the new otter character, Lutris!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Autumn of the Maple Star  
  
The fox sat half-heartedly prodding the embers of the fire. The rest of his band motley ferrets, weasels and other foxes sat around the clearing arguing, gambling or trying to sleep. His seer the vixen, Wiera, sat down on the opposite side of the fire, staring at him with pale slitted eyes.  
  
"You are worried, Vorgu. You are not as relaxed as you were. What troubles your mind?" said Wiera, tucking her paws into the folds of her robe.  
  
"I am indeed worried. I am afraid I shall loose my grip on these beasts that call me Chief. I have not brought them as much loot and bounty as I had promised. I fear a mutiny." Vorgu stirred the embers roughly, sending sparks into the night sky. "What do your omens tell you?  
  
Wiera reached into a robe pocket and drew out a pawful of stones and small twigs. She rattled them in her cupped paws, muttering softly. She threw them on the ground. The vixen peered at them, tracing the patterns they made with a blunt claw. Finally she spoke.  
  
"The omens tell me that we shall come across a place in our travels, with treasure and beauty. See how those sticks form a square, with stones in the centre? They represent a significant place, but it is inhabited. The road to this place will be hard; we must beware of the creatures living there. Also see how there is a larger stick forming a barrier, with those ants crawling around. Methinks that there shall be a great many beasts there. But if you can conquer it, it will be worth it. You will have treasures of which you have only dreamed." Wiera finished.  
  
"Is this place far? Do you know, Wiera?" asked Vorgu, hanging on to her every word.  
  
"I meself do not know, but perhaps Marshclaw knows. He grew up here before he joined us." The vixen suggested.  
  
Vorgu stood, and went to the weasel Marshclaw, who was sitting with a ferret playing an old gambling game, known as Three-Bones. Both Marshclaw and the ferret saluted as their chief came over.  
  
"Marshclaw, do you know of a place here, filled with beauty and treasures?" Vorgu asked, placing a paw upon his cutlass hilt.  
  
"Well, sir, the only place that I know is some abbey called Redwall. It's got many legends woven about it, like red warriors, magic swords and ghost mice. Many have tried to claim for their own, but I of none. Even Cluny the Scourge, the legendary Marlfoxes, and Ironbeak the crow failed." said Marshclaw.  
  
"Hmmmm...carry on then." commanded Vorgu, scratching his chin with a thoughtful claw.  
  
He returned to Wiera and sat down again.  
  
"Do you think we should try to claim it? If we can find more recruits, we should surely have enough to overwhelm them. I already have about four score of vermin at my back." asked Vorgu, planning.  
  
"If you can find more beasts, then methinks you should indeed." said the vixen, wrapping her voluminous cloak around her more tightly.  
  
Vorgu spread himself out on his cloak and stretched luxuriously, preparing to go to sleep.  
  
"Fine, then. We march to the Abbey of Redwall at dawn!" 


	3. Chapter 3: Rustal and Ryer's Past

Chapter 3  
  
Abbess Mhera stepped into great Hall just as the rowdy group reached hall. She smiled. What an asset those two twins were.  
  
"Abbess Mhera, well met!" said Rustal, the more outspoken of the twins.  
  
"You are just in time to help with the last of the decorations"  
  
Deyna grinned. "My sister is very punctual!"  
  
"Haha, very funny. Rustal, Ryer could I talk to you for a second?" Mhera motioned towards an empty room off to the side.  
  
Once they were inside, Mhera sat on low bench inside and slipped her paws into her wide habit sleeves.  
  
"We're very happy to have you in our abbey, but I would like to learn a little more about your past." Said Mhera. "I will respect your wish to keep your past to yourself."  
  
Rustal spoke. "Well, it's very complicated, but we'll try to remember as best as we can..."  
  
"it's very complicated you see, because me and Rustal had another sibling..."continued Ryer.  
  
"...she was our sister and one day after a fox attack, she never came home and..." said Rustal, awkwardly.  
  
"Yes?" prompted Mhera.  
  
"You see, Abbess, Ria was our triplet sister. Me, Rustal and Ria are triplets." Said Ryer.  
  
Mhera sat back. "You never saw her again?"  
  
"Never. I think we'd be able to recognize her though. She had a charm like this too." Rustal dug underneath the collar of his clothes and produced a small carved object attached to a leather thong. It was shaped roughly like a shining sun and made of green quartz. Ryer had an identical one, except his was made of blue quartz.  
  
"Ria's was purple quartz, she'd never give it up" said Ryer.  
  
"Thank you, both of you. I hope that one day you will be reunited with your sister, Ria" said Mhera, standing up. "Come, let us go and help with the feast."  
  
Please R & R! 


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